Another quadrajet or edelbrock?

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

Mw1980c10

Junior Member
Joined
Feb 17, 2018
Posts
5
Reaction score
0
Location
Union Grove, TX
First Name
Mark
Truck Year
1980
Truck Model
C10
Engine Size
350
My quadrajet on my 350 is acting up after last rebuild. Its a 4mv. So im pretty sick of trying to rebuild and am going to order a rebuilt one from summit or buy an eldelbrock from abc. The parts guy proffesses to be a carb guy however says that the quadrajet doesnt put out 750cfm after a little research im pretty sure hes wrong. So my question would be should i get the summit rebuilt 4me (i heard hooking up the electric choke is fairly simple) or a 600 cfm eldelbrock the parts place is pushing? Would a 600 cfm carb do well on the 350?
 

Swims350

Full Access Member
Joined
Jul 30, 2010
Posts
4,352
Reaction score
812
Location
Logan WV
First Name
Chris
Truck Year
1983
Truck Model
K10
Engine Size
none
a 600 will be plenty for it. fuel mileage will go down most likely going to any aftermarket carb plus you'll need an adapter if it has the stock quadrajet intake, the egr gets in the way of the edelbrock carbs, and you'll need the kickdown and throttle studs for the edelbrock to make it work and most times an air cleaner spacer or another air cleaner depending on what you have now
 

bucket

Super Moderator
Staff member
Super Moderator
Joined
Aug 3, 2010
Posts
30,439
Reaction score
28,345
Location
Usually not in Ohio
First Name
Andy
Truck Year
'77, '78, '79, '84, '88
Truck Model
K5 thru K30
Engine Size
350-454
What kind of problem are you having with the quadrajet? Several people here are a wiz with them, such as @Quadrajet Power
 

1987 GMC Jimmy

Automobile Hoarder
Joined
Jan 23, 2016
Posts
5,848
Reaction score
2,389
Location
Mississippi
First Name
Jesse
Truck Year
1987
Truck Model
V1500 Jimmy
Engine Size
350
I wouldn’t go Edelbrock if I was somehow compelled to buy aftermarket. I’d go with Holley. But even then, I’d stick with the Quadrajet first and foremost. The Quadrajet does take in 750 CFM or more depending on the type. I wouldn’t buy one of those sweatshop carbs, and yours may have an unrepairable problem like body warp from improper and/or overtorque. You’ve already got a rec for Quadrajet Power, and Mountain Man Carb in Hackett, AR is really good, and they're the shop that did mine. I’d pop the one you have in the mail, have it inspected by one of those two shops, and see if they can rebuild it or rebuild a known good core in lieu of yours.
 

Honky Kong jr

Super Sarcastic Man
Joined
Jun 14, 2016
Posts
14,968
Reaction score
9,828
Location
Denver,PA
First Name
J-me
Truck Year
87
Truck Model
V10
Engine Size
Lil BB 407
@RustyPile knows a thing or two about the Slobberjet. X2 on Jessie’s post
 

Mw1980c10

Junior Member
Joined
Feb 17, 2018
Posts
5
Reaction score
0
Location
Union Grove, TX
First Name
Mark
Truck Year
1980
Truck Model
C10
Engine Size
350
Sorry for the late response and thanks for all the info. I went with the edelbrock with the intention of putting the qjet back on after getting a pro to mic it flow test it and etc. After the qjet is good ill use the edelbrock on a 350 ive had in the shop for way too long. But ill definitely check out the shops mentioned and appreciate all the info.
 

Mw1980c10

Junior Member
Joined
Feb 17, 2018
Posts
5
Reaction score
0
Location
Union Grove, TX
First Name
Mark
Truck Year
1980
Truck Model
C10
Engine Size
350
Just out of curiousity why the holly over quadrajet?
 

1987 GMC Jimmy

Automobile Hoarder
Joined
Jan 23, 2016
Posts
5,848
Reaction score
2,389
Location
Mississippi
First Name
Jesse
Truck Year
1987
Truck Model
V1500 Jimmy
Engine Size
350
I would not go with a Holley over a Quadrajet. @Honky Kong jr definitely would, though. I have experience with and know how to tune a Holley, and I think it's a solid carb so it would be my alternative. The Quadrajet can do anything on a spectrum of economy to performance when built right and not irreparably damaged. It can't do anything when it's built wrong or irreparably damaged. It's a more sophisticated piece of equipment compared to Carter AFB/Edelbrock and Holley, which contributes to its bad reputation. Their age, relative fragility, small common problems (i.e. leaky well plugs), E10 gasoline being hard on them, affiliation with pre-TBI spaghetti emissions, people messing them up who don't know how to rebuild carbs, and Rochester Div.'s feedback model Quadrajet have given it a bad, and I would argue very undeserved, reputation.
 

Tobe's84Jimmy

Full Access Member
Joined
Jul 29, 2016
Posts
59
Reaction score
37
Location
Seattle
First Name
Tobe
Truck Year
1985
Truck Model
Jimmy Sierra Classic
Engine Size
5.7 350
i got that new edelbrock avs2 and its not to bad! BUT before i read all the so-far responses i was gonna say stock is easier than modded, modded is like tattoos/lays tater chips, it’s a long expensive road and yes Carcaine is addictive, ruined my life.
 

RustyPile

Left on own accord
Joined
Oct 7, 2017
Posts
901
Reaction score
1,124
Location
Elkhart, TX
First Name
Nick
Truck Year
1983 GMC
Truck Model
1500
Engine Size
350 SBC
Sorry for the late response and thanks for all the info. I went with the edelbrock with the intention of putting the qjet back on after getting a pro to mic it flow test it and etc. After the qjet is good ill use the edelbrock on a 350 ive had in the shop for way too long. But ill definitely check out the shops mentioned and appreciate all the info.
Sorry I'm late.. I received an invitation your party, but I've been pre-occupied with other matters.. I don't want to come across as bragging but I've been working on Q-Jets since they were first introduced decades ago.. I'm retired from auto repair, so I don't do it for money anymore, just for the fun of it.. I see you're a fellow Texan and not far from me, this might be something you want to consider.. Like Jessie said, some of these carburetors have been hacked beyond repair, but when they work right, they're hard to beat..

I don't need a job, but I'm willing to help you out here.. Send the carburetor to me and let me have a look at it.. I'll let you know what I find and discuss it with you.. If it can be repaired, even if it requires a total rebuild, you pay for any needed parts and the shipping.. I'll supply the time and labor.. If you're agreeable to this, contact me through the PM feature and we'll work out the details..
 

stuman

Junior Member
Joined
Nov 28, 2016
Posts
8
Reaction score
4
Location
Kansas
First Name
Stuart
Truck Year
1979
Truck Model
2500
Engine Size
454
I've had good luck over the years with QJ. Used to tear into them and make mods all the time...jet size, metering rod size, metering rod depth, brass float etc... You can jet the primaries very lean on these and setup the secondary control flap spring and accelerator pump just right for no "bog" and get the best of both worlds...pretty good "normal" driving mpg and still be able to waylay it when you want. I've also had pretty good luck with Edelbrock, and its predecessor Carter AFB. I'm not one to stress the tachometer though. :)
 

ali_c20

Full Access Member
Joined
Sep 20, 2016
Posts
1,300
Reaction score
1,853
Location
Austria
First Name
Alexander
Truck Year
1974, 1979
Truck Model
C20, K5
Engine Size
350, 350
When my old q-jet died I replaced it with an edelbrock ( I needed a quick replacement and some companies have them in stock in austria ) which was mistake. I correctet this and bought a smi rebuild quadrajet with electric choke.
I'm pretty happy with it, threw it on, adjusted idle with vacuum gauge and the choke. Had no problems in the last 2.5 years.

https://www.smicarburetor.com/
 

Forum statistics

Threads
44,159
Posts
950,613
Members
36,273
Latest member
dannyphx
Top